CLAANZ Conference 2018 - Melbourne
Charity Law Today: What does the future hold?
2 August 2018
Woodward Conference Centre
Level 10, Melbourne Law School, the University of Melbourne
2018 is an interesting moment for charity law, policy and regulation in Australia. Major law and policy reforms have been achieved: the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission now looks secure; the Charities Act 2013 has been in place for several years; important tax reforms continue to be pursued. However much remains unclear and undone. The ACNC’s regulatory approach evolves and changes over time and the much-anticipated five year review of the ACNC Act is imminent. The Charities Act remains uninterpreted by the courts. And the political landscape continues to deliver surprising (and not so surprising) twists and turns, as demonstrated by recent efforts to restrict charity advocacy via reforms to the electoral law. It seems as important as ever to reflect on the question: what does the future hold?
2018 is an interesting moment for charity law, policy and regulation in Australia. Major law and policy reforms have been achieved: the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission now looks secure; the Charities Act 2013 has been in place for several years; important tax reforms continue to be pursued. However much remains unclear and undone. The ACNC’s regulatory approach evolves and changes over time and the much-anticipated five year review of the ACNC Act is imminent. The Charities Act remains uninterpreted by the courts. And the political landscape continues to deliver surprising (and not so surprising) twists and turns, as demonstrated by recent efforts to restrict charity advocacy via reforms to the electoral law. It seems as important as ever to reflect on the question: what does the future hold?
Conference programme
Speaker biographies can be viewed here
Download a copy of the programme here
PLENARY SESSION
What Does the Future Hold?
The Hon Michael Sukkar MP Federal Member for Deakin, Assistant Minister to the Treasurer
Testing Charitable Purpose and Public Benefit
The Hon Dr Gary Johns Commissioner, ACNC
The Past, Present and Future of the ACNC Review
Elizabeth Shalders (Lewis Holdway)
Sue Woodward (JusticeConnect)
Murray Baird (ACNC)
Facilitator: Prof Matthew Harding (University of Melbourne)
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Session 1: Advocacy: The Never-Ending Story
Andrew Phillips (Charities Services, Department of Internal Affairs, New Zealand)
Simon Miller (Save the Children)
Miriam McDonald (Maddocks)
Alex Milner (Prolegis)
Facilitator: Sue Barker (Sue Barker Charities Law)
Session 2: The Interface of Government, Regulation and Charity
Dr Ian Murray (University of Western Australia)
Krystian Seibert (Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University)
Peter Hills-Jones (Public Fundraising Regulatory Association)
Facilitator: Vera Visevic (Mills Oakley)
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Session 1: Protecting Charity Assets
Alice MacDougall (Freehills)
Suhanya Mendes (ACNC)
Facilitator: Darren Fittler (Gilbert and Tobin)
Session 2: Governance Challenges: Best Practice and Controversies
Anne Robinson (Prolegis Lawyers)
Lucas Ryan (AICD)
Dr Rosemary Langford (University of Melbourne)
Facilitator: Libby Klein (Prolegis Lawyers)
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Session 1: So Much Housing Innovation: What’s Charitable and What’s Not?
Mark Fowler (Prolegis Lawyers)
Hayley Parkes (Housing Choices Australia)
Lesley Dredge (Community Housing Industry Association Victoria)
Facilitator: Murray Baird (ACNC)
Session 2: Charities and Redressing Historic Wrongs
Garth Blake AM SC (NSW Bar)
Michael Shand QC (Victorian Bar)
Andrew Lind (Corney & Lind Lawyers)
Sam Burnett (Prolegis Lawyers)
Facilitator: Seak-King Huang (Prolegis Lawyers)
PLENARY SESSION:
Charity Litigation
Justice Michael Sifris (Supreme Court of Victoria)
Jennifer Batrouney QC (Victorian Bar)
Speaker biographies can be viewed here
The Hon Michael Sukkar MP Federal Member for Deakin, Assistant Minister to the Treasurer
Sue Woodward (JusticeConnect)
Murray Baird (ACNC)
Facilitator: Prof Matthew Harding (University of Melbourne)
Session 1: Advocacy: The Never-Ending Story
Facilitator: Sue Barker (Sue Barker Charities Law)
Session 2: The Interface of Government, Regulation and Charity
Peter Hills-Jones (Public Fundraising Regulatory Association)
Facilitator: Vera Visevic (Mills Oakley)
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Session 1: Protecting Charity Assets
Suhanya Mendes (ACNC)
Session 2: Governance Challenges: Best Practice and Controversies
Facilitator: Libby Klein (Prolegis Lawyers)
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Session 1: So Much Housing Innovation: What’s Charitable and What’s Not?
Michael Shand QC (Victorian Bar)
Andrew Lind (Corney & Lind Lawyers)
Sam Burnett (Prolegis Lawyers)
Facilitator: Seak-King Huang (Prolegis Lawyers)
Justice Michael Sifris (Supreme Court of Victoria)
Jennifer Batrouney QC (Victorian Bar)